thefanninator

Oh I see... you mean kinda like the last sheath I made? I don't know why I didn't do it this time. I'm an idiot.

I'm no expert either. Haven't made many sheaths. Do you have a pic of the loop of stitches, the "D" on it's side? I'm having a hard time picturing that. The 45º angle gave me some trouble anyway. I couldn't stitch it to the main seam because it wouldn't have been 45º. The frog is pretty cool. Didn't think about that. Although I'm sure I've seen it in a movie.

Thanks for all the compliments guys! What makes you think the stitching isn't strong? The belt loop is the angled, wider one on the left. The loop on the right is for "lashing it to a pack" or something like that. Yeah, I may have to move the belt loop closer to the center. I tried it on a belt tonight and kinda discovered this. I have no idea what you mean by "This would be a good application for a frog."

Sheath for a machete. 14" blade, 8/9 oz. Hermann Oak, basketweave, sunburst border, Fiebing's chocolate, dark brown antique, Tan Kote, LCI Clear Lac, Tandy poly braided cord. Anyone make a sheath that hangs at a 45º angle? That's what this guy wanted. I hope it works!

I haven't been doing leatherwork very long but I think we are definitely seeing a resurgence of the art/craft. There are more small business' supplying tools and materials popping up all over. I think Americans (not all of them) are seeing the damage done by moving manufacturing overseas. The products are cheap but very poor quality. They want better quality items that are made in the USA.

Several pieces have to come together... Everyone has potential... for some people finding the "thing" is one of the hardest things... For others, like Michael Phelps it seems like he was born to swim and he found it very early and found a coach and stuck with it. I've quit many things that I was good at probably for no other reason than I got bored or plateaued. When I was a kid my dad did a little leatherwork and I always wanted that mini saddle from Tandy but I never got it. Somewhere around 2005 I made an archery arm guard out of some scrap leather someone gave me. I found my father's old leather stamps and swivel knife and with no idea what I was doing scratched around on this piece of leather that wasn't even the right kind of leather. I thought "I can't do this" and put it all away. Then in 2013 I started doing leatherwork for real to make my own arm guards. In this photo the left one is the scrap leather from 2005 and the one on the right is the first one I made when I really started. They suck! But I kept telling myself "Don't quit." The last arm guard is one I made several months ago. I like Arnold's motivational speech.

I started in an apartment on the ground floor so I didn't worry too much about stamping/hammering noise. Then I moved to a middle floor apartment... My trick is.... I use a marble slab about 24" x 12" I put this on my bed on top of some blankets. The noise is reduced quite a bit. I don't stamp too early or too late. You can also drown out a little hammering with some music; just not too loud.

Nice Monica!

Tandy's website has a chart for leather thickness.

http://www.amazon.com/Tanning-Chemistry-Science-Anthony-Covington/dp/1849734348/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424065861&sr=8-1&keywords=Science+of+leather

I would like to say that I did have some good help & free courses at Tandy when I started but I quickly out grew them. For the two years I've been doing leather work I have scoured the internet for the best products out there. I haven't used all the companies I have listed but I probably would if I had the money.

A few more I'd like to add: Weaver is selling to the general public now as: https://www.weaverleathersupply.com If you're a business (I think this is correct) it's this: http://www.weaverleather.com Booth & Co. http://www.boothandco.com/handtools.php They sell Joseph Dixon tools and other stuff. Don't forget our own Bruce Johnson: http://brucejohnsonleather.com Custom Swivel & Round knives: http://www.leatherwranglers.com/products.html Europe: Hass Tannery - France http://www.tanneries-haas.com/fr/Tanneries-Haas-Cuir-de-veau-Barenia-novocalf-3.html Weinheimer Leder - Germany http://weinheimer-leder.com/en/wl/about/ Premium alligator skins: http://www.amtan.com/index.php

A resounding yes.

Springfield Leather - http://springfieldleather.com Fine Leatherworking - http://www.fineleatherworking.com Maverick Leather - http://www.maverickleathercompany.com Ostrich Market - http://ostrichmarket.com The Tannery Row - http://www.thetanneryrow.com Rocky Mountain Leather Supply - http://www.rmleathersupply.com/collections/all Ohio Travel Bag - https://www.ohiotravelbag.com Buckle Guy - http://www.buckleguy.com Talas - http://talasonline.com Siegel Leather - http://www.siegelleather.com Barry King Tools - http://www.barrykingtools.com Fiebing's - http://www.fiebing.com Pro Leather Carvers - http://proleathercarvers.com Sheridan Leather - http://www.sheridanleather.com Hardtke Leather http://hardtkeleather.com - Coming soon Wickett & Craig - http://www.wickett-craig.com Horween - http://www.horween.com Hermann Oak - http://www.hermannoakleather.com Abbey England - http://www.abbeyengland.com There are several at the top of the page that I didn't list and several more I can't remember the name/web address.

Some bags are thick enough to hold their shape without reinforcment. Some are lined inside with calf or goatskin and this helps. Some don't have anything and don't hold their shape. When it's needed you can use leather for handles, bases etc. In her book, The Leatherworking Handbook, Valerie Michael mentions grey board and Vileden. I've never used either one and I'm not quite sure where to find them. She does mention that Vileden is an iron on stiffener.

I went in just the other day just to grab some Fiebing's dye and leather cement. Only dyes and finishes - no cement. I checked up front - not even in their catalog. I guess they want to push the ecoflo stuff. I found what I wanted at Hobby Lobby today.

Mine's been stitched up for at least a week. Trying to decide on a different closure.

Did you get samples from the tanneries you contacted? Horween and Wicket & Craig will send out free swatches. Not sure about the others.

http://www.wrtcleather.com/tr-books/books-1.shtml#sheaths http://chriscrawfordknives.com/#/basic-pouch-sheaths/4544768339

Feel free to add your personal touch. I cut the pattern the same but will use a different closure and I stitched it together inside out.

I emailed them a while back but didn't hear from them. Good to know they are still in business and Dallas is much closer for me than El Paso. Always wondered why they were way out there. Way nicer stuff than Tandy. They don't carry any tools as far as I know. Just nice leather. I bought some Spanish calfskin. It's gorgeous. http://hardtkeleather.com - coming soon.

If the pattern is printed out at 100% the square dotted line is 4" x 4".

All the new challenges will begin with the month...

What kind of leather is it? It may be dried out or very old. Take a picture and post it. Maybe we can figure it out.

I'm using the same leather I used for January's vertical wallet pattern, 2-2.5 oz calfskin. If you're planning on tooling 6-8oz would probably be fine.